Citizens stepping up to serve meals to Earle seniors

Citizens stepping up to serve meals to Earle seniors

Group has already raised $400for program

By Mark Randall

news @ theeveningtimes .com A group of senior citizens in Earle who have volunteered to oversee meals and activities at the city’s community center has raised over $400 to help get the program started.

Mayor Sherman Smith, who has been working with area seniors to start a meal program, said the group met recently to elect a leadership team and is off to a good start.

“They elected officers and a board of directors, and we opened a local hank account for them,” Smith said. “I’m also working to get them a non-profit status through the Arkansas Secretary of State.”

Area seniors had been asking Smith to bring meals and activities back to Earle so that they don’t have to travel to Wynne. Meals used to be served at the community center but were discontinued several years ago. The city has renovated the community center, which is located on Hwy.

64, and the building is seeing more use, including by the Earle School District which has rented space for an after school program.

Smith set up a meeting with representatives from St. Bernard’s Community Action program which oversees funding for area senior meals and activities to see if they would start doing meals in Earle, but were told that there was no money in the budget.

Seniors in Earle who want to get a hot meal and participate in senior activities currently have to be shuttled to the community center in Wynne.

Smith, who is also pastor of Total Deliverance Cathedral in Earle, committed to funding several months of meals at the senior center through his church and has been working with other churches in Earle to help the seniors out until they can be self sustaining.

“We raised a little bit of money to get them started,” Smith said. “They have a little over $400 now and I know some of the local churches are going to give.

It’s one of the things we promised we would help them do. But they have to help themselves first, and I think it’s a good start.”

The group will begin serving meals at the community center starting Jan. 8 at 9 a.m.

“I know some of the local churches are going to give. It’s one of the things we promised we would help them do.. I think it’s a good start.” — Earle Mayor Sherman Smith